Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Three Bargain Lip Stains

On an every day basis I don't usually have time to keep checking on my lipstick, so I tend to use lip stains a lot as an alternative. Here are my reviews of three different, very affordable, lip stains that I have been trying out over the past few months!

Astor Perfect Stay Transferproof Lip Tint & Care

This product is probably my favourite lip stain at the moment for so many different reasons. Some of you may not have heard of Astor - for those that haven't, they're a cosmetics company that has been around since the 1950s! My Mum remembers wearing their eyeshadows as a young girl and I get the impression that they've lasted so long because of how great the quality of their products is.

The shade that I have been using is 160 Mexican Pink which is a gorgeous deep pink. The product itself smells beautifully sweet and fruity and applies so well. It's full of moisture, which is quite rare for a stain. Normally you apply a stain and within seconds it has completely soaked in and feels very dry - Astor's stain retains it's hydration for some time. You can probably tell from the picture that there is a slight glossy shine to my lips and that it is entirely from the stain. The product does come with an anti-dryness balm on the opposite end of the pen, which I have made use of and it's quite thick and moisturising.

The most import aspect of these stains is, arguably, their staying power and so far I have yet to find a stain that lasts longer than this one. Even with eating and drinking, I have found that the colour is still on my lips hours later. Further proof comes from the fact that with the swatches I drew on my hand (which you'll see later) this shade was so persistent and remained for the longest!

This stain is so affordable - you can buy it online for less than a few pounds. I have also had this stain for over a year and the nib still hasn't gotten anywhere near drying out - it's definitely a great investment!

I have to say that the purple tinted packaging definitely attracted me to this product! The shade is Forever Freesia 491. I always tend to stick with pinks and reds for my lips, so this gave me the chance to try out a more purple-toned lip colour! The first thing that I was really excited about was the nib of pen; it has a fine point which is perfect for lining your lips before you fill them in.

This picture shows the coverage with just one coat of this stain - it's not quite as opaque as the Astor tint, but you can still clearly see the colour change. Again, the scent is nice and sweet - so doesn't smell chemically. The stain applies very easily, but also dries quite quickly. I would recommend applying a lip balm or gloss over the top as soon as it dries.

In terms of staying power, it definitely doesn't reach the 16 hour claim, but if you're not eating or drinking it will probably last you 4-5 hours. Luckily, the nib makes it super easy to reapply!

I am massively impressed with the colour and I think it is a lot easier to pull off a purple lip using a stain as opposed to a lipstick as it just looks more natural. This product would definitely be good for people like me who are just trying to step out of their boundaries!

I purchased this for a very everyday look. The shade is 150 Tender Rose which is quite a subtle rosey-pink colour. It's actually quite a similar colour to my normal lip shade, but the colour is just a bit deeper. The packaging is just gorgeous - definitely my favourite packaging out of the three - and the nib is similar to the Astor stain.

In terms of staying power, it's difficult to fully assess because this shade is so close to my normal colour. I would say that it is a little bit more persistent than the NYC tint against food and drink, but it still wouldn't last much longer than a few hours. The Astor stain is still a winner.

Here's a swatch of the three stains. From the left we have Astor, NYC and Maybelline.

Hope this post has been helpful for you - let me know which stains you use!